(Mini)Book Review: Winter's Passage

Winter's Passage. Novella one of "The Iron Fey" series.

4 out of 5 stars

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Meghan Chase used to be an ordinary girl...until she discovered that she is really a faery princess. After escaping from the clutches of the deadly Iron fey, Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck--Meghan's best friend and servant of her father, King Oberon--who was gravely injured defending Meghan from the Iron Fey.

Yet Meghan and Ash's detour does not go unnoticed. They have caught the attention of an ancient, powerful hunter--a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat....

Review:

A nice, light reading that ties in with "The Iron Fey" series. It takes place between "The Iron King" and "The Iron daughter." It What happens in this novella isn't really significant to the plot of the book and can honestly be skipped if desired. If you're looking for a little "What happened between books" or just want to more when it comes to the series, I would recommend "Winter's Passage."

Book Review: The Iron Queen

The Iron Queen. Book three of "The Iron Fey" series.

5 out of 5 stars

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My name is Meghan Chase. I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it. This time, there will be no turning back.

Review:

By far the best book of the entire series up to this point. It had a wonderful balance of everything. Action, romance, suspense, thrills! The entire book was just amazing and I loved it so much, that I didn't take my time reading it. I simply devoured it as quickly as I could, so as to find out how it ends.

Speaking of ends, the ending was absolutely flawless. Julie Kagawa really took a risky approach on it, but for the better. When I finished this novel, I felt satisfied unlike "The Iron Daughter". There were still some loose ends that weren't tied up, but not like in the other books. I left accepting what happened in this book rather than the disbelief of what had just happened in the others. It just made sense. I may not be making much sense here, but I'm sure you'll understand once you read this book.

So overall, this is an amazing novel and I most most most most definitely recommend it. I recommend the entire series, really. It's just magical and captures you and leaves you with all these little tiny itchy goosebumps. Kudos, Julie Kagawa, on your amazing ability to create a world that is so believable that it takes us to a world not of our own.

Book Review: The Iron Daughter

The Iron Daughter. Book two of "The Iron Fey" series.

3 out of 5 Stars

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Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere.
Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen.
As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron Fey, iron-bound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen.
But no one believes her.
Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off.
She's alone in Faery with only her wits for help.
Trusting anyone would be foolish.
Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly.
But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

Review:

Overall, good book. Not as good as the first in my opinion though. Although this book didn't start off slow like the first book of the series, and there was certainly more action, the book lacked something else. I certainly could tell I was reading a sequel. The Iron Daughter didn't have ties that referred back to the first novel, like any continuation should have. A sequel should have major plot points that are based off of little overlooked details from previous books. The Iron Daughter didn't have any of that. Just some needless filler to establish ground for the third book. Besides that little fallback, Julie Kagawa did a wonderful job on improving aspects of the second book that she didn't quite fulfill in the first. She increased the action, the suspense, the comedy, and probably most significant, the romance.

Overall, it was a pretty decent book. I most certainly would recommend continuing through The Iron Fey series, even if this book didn't quite hit the mark.

Book Review: The Iron King

Iron King. Book one of the Iron Fey Series

4 out of 5 stars

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Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined… Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home. When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she’s known is about to change. But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she’ll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Review:

At first, the book starts out slow, but as you progress further into the story, you become attached. It's hard to put it down. The Iron King is an amazing combination of romance, action, adventure, and realism brought to life by mythological references. It's the characters that truly make the story though, with each one having a distinct personality that aids in bringing a life to the novel. A genuinely strong, but sometimes weak, heroine steers this novel to where in needs to go. In just a few short days of starting this series, it has quickly made it’s way to a spot on my favourites list. This book is a must read for both fantasy and mythology fans alike.

Oh 2010. What a year you have been.

Overall, 2010 has been both the best year of my life, and at the same time, the worst.

The first half of 2010 was about average. I was doing well in school, I had a couple close friends who I really enjoyed being with, I was single, and things were just mellow. Life was life. Average and repetitive.

Around March or April, I kind of ditched my group of friends. So much was going on in their lives that I just needed to get away. It was stressful and since my life was so mellow, I wanted to enjoy it and not be affected by other peoples' problems around me. I started sitting at an entirely different table at lunch. One that consisted completely of guys and my brother. It was nice. I would just listen to their conversations and they would just be so average. Talk about video games and arguments on specific topics would be commonly heard. There were hardly any conversations involving other people and rumors. Hardly any talk of problems at home or conflicts with people. And although I wasn't entirely comfortable at that table just yet, I felt like it was a really nice place to be and I wanted to be there.

As I sat at the table, I eventually got to know some of the people a lot better. I knew some of them, but not very well. They all turned out to be really cool people. Towards the end of April and the beginning of May, I became friends with one of the people who sat there, Eli. He and I turned out to have a lot of the same interests and we got along great. We eventually added each other on Facebook and messaged each other all the time.

Over the summer, my best friend Katie left for June and July to visit family in New York. Outside of school I usually don't hang out with anyone except Katie. So I was stuck at home with the exception of a 4 day school trip to UNR. I was on the computer everyday and, most of the time, Eli was too. We talked about everything. It was so nice. He eventually confessed he had feelings for me and I told him that I couldn't return those feelings. We continued talking after that though. We even went to the movies once in Vegas. Unfortunately, it was awkward though.

Towards the end of July, Katie returned and I was determined to make up for the time she was gone. I started spending multiple nights at her house at a time. Eli and I were still talking and I thought it was a good idea to invite him over to Katie's house, to try to fix the awkward time spent in Vegas. So one day, we met up at the public pool and all came back to Katie's house afterwards. It was all together good fun and after Eli went home, I realized that I had developed feelings for him. I told him through a Facebook message later that day. Classic, right?

After that Eli and I started hanging almost everyday. I liked him more and more and on August 27, he asked me out. It was nice. It still is nice. He is the most caring, insightful, understanding person I have ever met. He has made my year. He has helped me through all the hardships, I've had for the last four months. I'm so entirely grateful that I get to end my 2010 with Eli, and start my 2011 with him too.

School then started in September. It was entirely different from last year. I was taking five honors classes AND I had a boyfriend on top of that. I thought it would be a lot harder than it was though. I had to focus a tad more on my grades, but besides that, no worries. We hung out after school and on weekends and it was amazing. We went to homecoming together, and to football games. I also got voted into one of Gamer club's representative positions. Everything was perfect

On October 18th, I got arrested.

My mom and I had gotten into a fight and she grabbed me and I attempted to remove her off of me. She ended up slamming my head into the ground and causing it to swell. I called the cops. Apparently, if a parent is beating the shit out of you in Pahrump you have to let them beat the shit out of you or get charged with a felony. That's exactly what happened to me. I got put on sixty days of house arrest and am currently awaiting my court date in January.

I couldn't use the phone, Internet, have people over, go places without my parents, text, or basically live. I was stuck in my house to just think. It drove me mad. My emotions were up and down. One minute I would be totally optimistic about my situation, then next I would be crying myself to sleep and giving up. I couldn't talk to anyone about all that happened on top of it. I missed all of the Gamer Club meetings due to classes I had to take after school. My life quality was probably the lowest it's ever been at that moment.

The after school classes turned out to be a big help. I'm still attending them for a few more weeks. Overall, they helped me handle the situation. They gave me tips on what to do when certain things happen at home and gave me a more positive outlook on the whole situation. I also made some great friends and got out of the house several times a week.

On December 17th, I got off house arrest. After school, I hung out with Eli immediately. It was a relief. I was terrified about what house arrest was going to do to our relationship and to know that it was over now was a big worry taken off my back. December 17th was also the start of Winter Break and I've been hanging out with friends ever since.

All of the troubles that came with being arrested aren't entirely over yet, but they almost are. I'm still afraid of what is to come, but right now I'm going to live up the good times and not worry about what's gonna happen. I mean, its a new year right? Aren't we suppose to be optimistic about it and appreciate the good times. Its a time for reflecting and changing, for the better.

Happy New Year, everyone!

A little tiny blog update. :3

So lately, Ive had a lack of inspiration when it comes to blogging. Most of the ideas I've had previously require pictures and since I don't have a camera, its kinda hard. I only have a really low quality phone camera, and lets face it, I'm freaking lazy. So this blog is just an update of random stuff. Its basically me rambling.

My week:
Sunday- Was gonna go to my grandparents but was sick. DX
Monday-Had an Eye appointment but didnt go because I was sick. DX Cat got sick.
Tuesday-Picked up my schedule/book/Student I.D.
Wednesday-Did nothing. Cat got better.
Thursday-Went to new eye appointment but got sent home due to being sick. DX Got new undershirts. XD

Rest of this weeks plans:
Friday- Vet appointment for cat. Doctor appointment for me. Hanging out with Eriiii, Katie, Kevin, and Matt for our last summer friend day. XD
Saturday- Hair cut at noon. Going back to Katies for hair to be dyed.
Sunday-Grandmas...maybe. Depends on my sickness.
Monday- Schoooooooooool.

I just realized that nobody cares about my week. DX

Anyway. I found some really cute things on the interwebs and I thought I would write about




The first is this ^^^

Aww. Isnt it cute. Ferrets in heart form. There really isnt much else to say. I thought it was adorable. :3



Next is Rilakkuma iPod speakers.

Ive had several iPod homes/docks and I have to say that these are one of the cutest. These apparently fit several different type of iPods as well.



Last is my favorite. A replica of the Plasma Rifle off of Fallout 3

More pictures here. The details on this piece are absolutely stunning. When I saw this I freaked out a bit. Its amazing!!

Well thats about it. I might add more to the descriptions later. I are being a lazy face. :P

(Links: Ferret heart, iPod speakers, Fallout prop)

My (Mini) Pokemon Collection.

Everyone has had a childhood obsession. Something they never let go and will love for the rest of their life. Something that they could always count on to be there for them when they were younger. Mine just happens to be Pokemon.

Ive been in love with Pokemon since before I can even remember. I know the first episode I watched. I remember waking up Christmas morning disappointed that I didnt get the specific Pikachu toy that I wanted only later to find out it was hidden behind our tree. On my bed, there is my giant stuffed Pikachu that I received from my older brother when I turned six. I still hold it at night while I try to fall asleep. Pokemon has always been in my life, and always will be.

What I'm about to show you is a very very very small portion of my Pokemon collection. When I say small, trust me, I mean small. My family moves at least twice a year, so to make things easier, a majority of our non-essentials are in a storage unit. This includes my Pokemon collection.

My actual Pokemon collection is ten times the size of this, but since I do not have access to it at the time being, this will have to make do. Below is a short description of each picture above and what is in it. The quality isn't the greatest since I don't have a camera and only a phone. I apologize. Regardless, I hope you enjoy my Pokemon collection.

Top left: My mini collection. Down on the bottom of the picture, there is a pink pikachu wall scroll. I forgot to take a close up of it. Its entirely in Japanese. There is also a Pikachu slipper and in the bottom right there are Pokemon notebooks that Kevin won in a contest.

Top Center: Collection of some my pokemon games. They include: Leafgreen, FireRed, Yellow, Ruby, Crystal, Gold, Silver, Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond, Pearl, Pokemon pinball 1, and Pokemon pinball 2.

Top Right: My Pikachu. Hes 10 years old this year. Received from my brother when I was 6 during my birthday party at burger king. I remember getting a chocolate shake that day as well.

2nd row down left: Pokemon window stickers. My brother brought them back from Japan.

2nd row center: Pokemon action figures. Charizard shoots fireballs and metagross shoots a hyper beam disk.

2nd row left: Pokemon miniatures. The big Pikachu key chain was given to me by my brother. Its made almost entirely of string. He got it in Japan. In the top left of the picture there is a pikachu in a suit. Its a necklace and it lights up and flashes. I think we got it at a fair or something.

3rd row left: Pikachu charms! The one on the right is a surfing Pikachu on a rainbow surf board. Yet another thing my brother got at the Pokemon Center in Japan.

3rd row middle: The Pokemon movie book. Its entirely in Japanese. A gift from my brother. I think he got it at a convention.

3rd row right: Kevins DS, featuring a Ho-oh and Lugia DS cover. A gift from my brother, from when he went to Japan.

Bottom left: My DS, featuring a Pikachu DS cover. Another gift from Jason.

Bottom middle: My Pikachu/Pichu Gameboy Color. I honestly dont remember when or where I got this. Pikachu's cheek is the light that measures your battery life.

Bottom right: My Pokemon shirt. I got it when I was six and it still fits. I always wear it to school. :)


(Note: Some items added are my brothers and sisters, like the extra pikachu charm. I did this to make the collection slightly bigger and to show a variety of specific items.)